The present invention relates to water flow control valves. More particularly, the present invention relates to thermally controlled showerhead assemblies with manual overrides.
It is often necessary for a person to wait for a water source to reach a suitable temperature prior to use. For example, individuals will often turn on the hot water at their sink or shower and allow the water to run for an extended time period to allow the cold water to be expelled from the pipes. Unfortunately, individuals will sometimes allow the water to run an extended time period after the water has reached its desired temperature. For example, many individuals are reluctant to stand by a shower and continuously monitor the water temperature, and it is not uncommon for individuals to walk away from the sink or shower and then to become distracted by other tasks. This results in vast amounts of water and energy being wasted. Literally, significant amounts of hot water are simply lost down the drain.
Control valves have been developed for shutting off the water when the water reaches a predetermined temperature. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,291,391 describes a showerhead having a thermally responsive valve utilizing a bimetallic coiled strip which causes the valve to close upon the water reaching a desired temperature. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,227 describes a showerhead which includes a valve intended to stop the flow of water when water becomes dangerously hot.
More complicated electronic showerhead control valves have also been developed. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0341425 describes a mixing valve including a hot water inlet and a cold water inlet. The valve is connected to an electronic controller and temperature sensor so as to control the valve to automatically blend the sources of water together to automatically dispense a desired water temperature. The electronic controller may include a microprocessor which is programmable to store different temperature profiles in memory. Still an additional electronic valve is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,434,693. This valve assembly includes a temperature sensor and piston wherein the valve is closed at a preselected temperature. However, the closing of the valve can be overridden by a manual slide switch.
Unfortunately, each of the thermally controlled showerhead assemblies suffers from various drawbacks. For example, passive (non-electronically controlled) valve assemblies offer limited control for the user to adjust temperature. Meanwhile, electronically controlled valves for showerhead assemblies typically require operation of buttons or control knobs or the like to enable an individual to control the showerhead parameters.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved showerhead assembly having a thermally controlled valve that was easier to operate.